Cleone People

Cleone People

Meet The Team – ANNA

First in our series of Cleone People, we’re catching up with Anna, our Sales & Marketing Administrator, to find out about how Island Delight products get to market

What Was Your Route In To Sales and Marketing?

“Well, I’m originally from Poland. I studied language and literature there, so initially, thoughts of sales and marketing were far from my mind! I’d envisaged a more academic career, but after a holiday in the UK, I decided to stay here a bit longer to see if I could call England my home. I was fortunate enough to find a job with a distributor of exotic fruits and vegetables, in the Midlands.

This taught me lots of the skills I have today – it was very much learning on the job. So when I saw the vacancy at Cleone Foods advertised, I knew I was in a position to handle it by then.”

What does your role involve?

“It may be quicker to say what it doesn’t! It’s hugely varied, and that was part of the attraction. There is no particular ‘typical’ day, as you have to react to what’s happening at the time. Part of the role is very much about forward planning – looking for new outlets and opportunities, working on new product development etc. And then there’s the everyday things that make the wheels of the company turn, like talking to distributors, checking deliveries, dealing with customer queries. It’s a hugely interesting role and I really enjoy it.”

What Makes A Good Sales and Marketing Administrator?

“I think there’s a combination of skills involved. One is that you have to like people, as you deal with them in different capacities, all day! This job wouldn’t suit somebody insular. It’s all about social skills – a mix of listening to people’s ideas and suggestions and feedback, and then being able to convey your own ideas too.

Being organised is another essential. You have to keep track of all the different projects that are happening, and remember when to follow things up. Quite often, there may be a chain of things in motion – one result may depend on the answer to another question, so it’s vital to feed this information through in a timely manner. I’m a fan of the spreadsheet too – it helps me keep track of so many things!”

What’s In The Cleone Pipeline For The Future?

“We are always looking for new opportunities to extend the range. And we’re big on community engagement too – anything from getting involved in food festivals through to supporting charity work. It’s all about getting the name out there in a positive manner.”